Microsoft and Insomniac Games have unleashed the first look at the gameplay of Sunset Overdrive, their high-octane, open-world, third-person shooter being developed exclusively for Xbox One.
The action is set in 2027 in the fictional Sunset City, home to Fizzco, the world’s largest (and most sinister) beverage manufacturer. When a mutagen-loaded batch of their new energy drink sets off the mutant apocalypse, it’s up to you and your friends to fight for survival. Taking down Fizzco will be your primary objective, but Sunset City will provide plenty of colorful characters and quests to distract you along the way, like a clan of dedicated LARPers who have given into their fantasy.
Sunset Overdrive replaces the grey wasteland slogs and cautious fence climbing of other zombie survival games and replaces it with Insomniac’s signature splashes of color, irreverence, and momentum. The colorful environments have been designed to encourage constant motion, laced with surfaces to bounce, grind, wall-run, and zip-line across while mowing down hordes of mutants. In action it looks more reminiscent of Prince of Persia and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater than DayZ.
The game will feature expansive customization options both for characters and weapons. Recipes can be found scattered around the city to craft weapons and powerful Amps, which can give powerful new abilities like an air dash or the chance to set off a mushroom cloud. The weapons revealed so far go a long way to set the game’s tongue-in-cheek tone, launching projectiles like bowling balls and exploding teddy bears.
Microsoft also shared details of the Day One Edition, which features the stylish exclusives like a gun the launches limited edition vinyl records or a hammer made from a bat and spiked dumb-bells.
E3 will no doubt bring new details soon, and the game is set for release later this year.
